WHITE TRUFFLE SCRAMBLED EGGS
There isn’t a single French chef who is not associated with a truffle dish: Michel Rostang and his world-famous warm truffle sandwich; Paul Bocuse’s soupe VGE; Guy Savoy’s soupe d’artichauts aux truffes noires; Roger Vergé’s bouquet de salade de truffes fraîches; or Michel Guérard’s salade gourmande. In the old days, those were the dishes that differentiated haute cuisine from bistro food. In order to eat truffles, you needed to go to a gastronomic restaurant, and of course that was an expensive and slippery slope, because with great truffles, chances are you will crave a great Châteauneuf-du-Pape, an Hermitage, or a Barolo.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Grilled Brioche Crouton
Spinach-Lined Bowls
To Finish
Instructions
For the Grilled Brioche Crouton
  1. Heat a grill or cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Lightly brush all sides of the brioche batons with melted butter. Grill each side of bread until marks form; set aside.
For the Spinach-Lined Bowls
  1. Preheat a steam oven or stovetop steamer. Line the inset rim of 4 small bowls (with bottoms approximately 5 inches in diameter) with a ring of spinach leaves with tips facing outward. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and steam 3 minutes, to slightly wilt the leaves. Keep warm.
To Finish
  1. Transfer the spinach puree to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to heat through.
  2. Transfer the chanterelle duxelle to a small sauté pan over medium heat and stir until heated through; stir in the diced Fontina and keep warm.
  3. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small sauté pan over high heat. Add the halved chanterelles and sauté for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add 2 inches of water to the bottom of a medium saucepan (about 8 inches in diameter) and bring to a simmer. Crack the eggs into a medium heatproof bowl (about 10 inches in diameter) and beat with a whisk until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper and place the bowl on top of the pan, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
  5. Using a small heatproof rubber spatula, stir the eggs in a zigzag pattern from left to right, then up and down. If the eggs begin to coagulate too fast, lower the heat. It should take about 5 minutes for a light film to form on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Keep stirring the eggs. When small curds appear, switch to a whisk to stir the eggs, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as much as possible. When the eggs take on a porridge-like texture (they should be soft but not soupy or runny), remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the crème fraîche. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  6. For each serving, remove the plastic wrap from a spinach-lined bowl and set a 4-inch ring mold inside. Spoon in a layer of chanterelle duxelle, and then top with an even layer of spinach puree. Spoon the scrambled eggs on top. Arrange 4 roasted chanterelle halves and 3 leaves of spinach around the rim. Lift the ring from the plate and shave fresh white truffle over the top. Set a brioche crouton on the rim of the bowl.